5 Hot Business Ideas We Love Right Now

5 Business Ideas We Love Right Now

Credit: Money image via ShutterstockLooking for a great business idea? Sometimes all it takes is being inspired by someone else. BusinessNewsDaily hears about lots of exciting new businesses and they all have interesting stories to tell. Here are five business ideas we love right now.

The Fancy

Credit: TheFancy.comThe Fancy is the next evolution of e-commerce.

"It is the place to discover and buy the coolest stuff from all around the Web," said Joseph Einhorn, the company's founder. "You are finding the coolest items and places to visit — through people whose taste you admire. See something you want to buy, you can buy it right there or book a trip right there without having to click off to another website."

"The way commerce has been working up until now is that stores have buyers who act as editors and dictate to us what we are allowed to buy from whom when and at what price. The way our system works is that users drive this and 'Fancy' what they like and then merchants and brands can sell to that demand. We know what we want — let us eliminate the buyer. So we are trying to flip all commerce, not just e-commerce, on its head."

PA For a Day

The startup provides short- or long-term help to busy professionals and businesses in the New York City area. The company's personal assistants work for as little as $20 an hour (with a two-hour minimum) and will do whatever you need done, including laundry, grocery shopping and dog walking. The can also do more professional tasks, including event staffing, office administration or translation.

Charleston thinks it's a great time to start a business like his because people are more time-strapped now than ever.

"Our service allows busy individuals and businesses a way to
get everything done, without burning themselves out," Charleston said.

Savvy Source/Schoola

Credit: Schoola.comSchoola is a self-service fundraising platform that schools, principals, PTAs, moms and dads can use to raise significant funds for schools and other nonprofits, explains founder Stacey Boyd.

"Think Groupon meets school fundraising with a merchant-friendly twist," she said. School supporters work with great merchants in their community to create a deal everyone will love, and merchants donate between 15 and 50 percent of their proceeds back to schools. Schoola handles the purchases and fulfillment and sends checks to merchants and schools.

"Education funding is in crisis mode as public schools are receiving less state funding," Boyd said. "The cuts have had significant consequences, and school supporters are looking for new, modern ways to fill the gaps."

Find your business idea

Ready to figure out what business idea is best for you? Try our Business Idea Generator. Answer 21 "yes" or "no" questions and we'll tell you the top five business ideas that might work for you. Click here to get started. Don't worry, it will open in a new window and you won't lose your place in this countdown.

Doctors Express

Credit: DoctorsExpress.comDoctors Express is the first-ever nationally franchised urgent care, according to John Shufeldt, CEO of Immediate Clinic Management, which owns Doctors Express. The company has 43 walk-in medical centers up and running throughout the country and a total of 143 franchises have been awarded in 24 states. Seventy franchises are expected to be operating by the end of the year.

Much like an emergency room, Doctors Express always has physicians on staff. Doctors Express provides state-of-the-art treatment for acute illness, trauma and sports injuries (including minor surgical procedures) and has on-site laboratory and digital X-ray service as well as medication dispensing. Pre-employment physicals, drug screening and treatment of work-related injuries are also available to local employers.

"Emergency rooms are overcrowded and can’t handle the number of nonemergency patients clogging up the ER," he said. "When [people] get sick, they need quality, affordable, accessible health care." The average out of pocket cost for those without insurance for a Doctors Express visit is $125 to $140.

I Do, Now I Don’t

Credit: IDoNowIDont.comI Do, Now I Don't was started by Josh Opperman after his fiancée had a change of heart. When he took the ring back to the store he originally purchased it from, he received an offer that was substantially lower than what he paid for it. He then created I Do, Now I Don't as on an online marketplace for buyers and sellers of secondhand jewelry, mainly diamond engagement rings, and other wedding-related items.

On the website, sellers can let go of their unwanted jewelry and at the same time, buyers can receive a much better price than what’s offered at most retailers.

"What sets IDoNowIDont.com (IDNID) from the rest of auction sites that exist is the secure and superior service," Opperman said. Each diamond sold on the site comes first to the IDNID headquarters and is inspected by an independent GIA-trained and accredited gemologist to assure the authenticity and quality of every piece of jewelry sold, he said.

Small Business Resource Center

Credit: Laptop image via ShutterstockIf you're thinking about starting your own business, there are lots of decisions to be made. What kind of accounting software will you use? Will you do your own payroll our outsource it? BusinessNewsDaily's Small Business Resource Center will help you sort through the choices. Visit it here.

Jeanette has been writing about business for more than 20 years. She has written about every kind of entrepreneur from hardware store owners to fashion designers. Previously she was a manager of internal communications for Home Depot. Her journalism career began in local newspapers. She has a degree in American Studies from Rutgers University. Follow her on Twitter @jeanettebnd.